PlayStation.Blog » Ryan Graffhttp://blog.us.playstation.com
The official PlayStation Blog for news and video updates on PS3, PS4, PSN, PS Vita, PSPSun, 02 Aug 2015 16:48:56 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.3Ragnarok Odyssey ACE Out Today for PS3, PS Vitahttp://blog.us.playstation.com/2014/04/01/ragnarok-odyssey-ace-out-today-for-ps3-ps-vita/
http://blog.us.playstation.com/2014/04/01/ragnarok-odyssey-ace-out-today-for-ps3-ps-vita/#commentsTue, 01 Apr 2014 16:05:17 +0000http://blog.us.playstation.com/?p=127306PS3 and PS Vita is a game about slaying giants, and now that we're finally at launch, some of us feel like we've fought one ourselves!]]>

Ragnarok Odyssey ACE on PS3 and PS Vita is a game about slaying giants, and now that we’re finally at launch, some of us feel like we’ve fought one ourselves!

Not just because it’s a large game, although it certainly is. ACE is a massively expanded version of the original Ragnarok Odyssey, with enough new content to make it about twice the size this time around. The most prominent new feature is a 400-story tower, with enough monsters and new story content to fill it; you’ll see that once you reach the original game’s ending, which is now the new game’s midpoint. Throughout the game, you’ll also discover new character skills, new weapon types, new NPC sidekicks, and a slew of other new features and conveniences.

ACE is the first Ragnarok Odyssey game to appear on PS3 as well as PSVita, with readily available cross play (for up to four players) and cross saving between the two. The game also allows players to import their save data from the original Ragnarok Odyssey, bringing over their character’s name, appearance, and cards (except for any cards equipped on their outfit or acquired through NEAR) for a new trip through the expanded game.

The game’s developers, GameArts and GungHo, had to rewrite much of their infrastructure just to make those features possible (which is one of several reasons why ACE couldn’t have been a regular DLC pack). On our end, making all those features available in North America has involved extensive QA, bulk data entry, and working side by side with PlayStation every step of the way. (On that note, thanks to everybody on the PlayStation team who helped us through the process!)

At launch, you’ll see a dozen different available downloadable packs in the ACE section of PlayStation Store. Seven of those packs are costume pieces from the original Ragnarok Odyssey; if you’ve played the original, and you already own one or more of those packs, you’ll be able to re-download those same packs you already own for free in the new game*, as a “thank you” for coming back. (Newcomers can pick up those seven packs for $0.99 per pack.)

There are also five other packs available at launch: two extensive collections of musical tracks (both free forever), a collection of costume pieces from Grandia (also free forever), and two other costume downloads, the Royal Ball Outfit Set and the Gorgeous Headwear Set, both of which will be free for the first two months as a bonus to early adopters.

We’re on schedule to release three or four packs of absolutely free DLC every week from the start of April until the start of June. Each of those weekly releases will include one set of licensed costumes from various other games, plus two or three other goodies, such as other costume pieces or special quests.

All those things together have built up to a fair-sized mountain of a project — at least by the standards of a small company like ours — but we’ve only got a little time for a breather before the next step comes our way. Very soon, we’ll be working with the developers and PlayStation to bring you a major content patch for ACE, which will include new server-based quests, daily login bonuses, leaderboards, a new boss rush mode called Prison of the Gods, and a variety of other features, most of which will be accessible from the Norn Exchange in-game.

We’d like to thank new fans and those returning for checking the game out, and we hope you enjoy all the shiny new features and hefty new content. Ragnarok Odyssey ACE debuts today, in both physical and digital form, for PS3 ($39.99) and PS Vita ($34.99 for digital, $39.99 for the first print-run Launch Edition physical version — which includes a nice soundtrack CD). Happy hunting!

*We’d like to clarify previously released information regarding the seven costume packs from the original game: Each of those seven packs is only free if a player already owns the original game’s version of that specific pack. Our apologies the information was not clear when we initially announced it.

]]>http://blog.us.playstation.com/2014/04/01/ragnarok-odyssey-ace-out-today-for-ps3-ps-vita/feed/72http://blog.us.playstation.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/rag.jpg3.74Localization, XSEED Games7234Ragnarok Odyssey Ace Launches on PS3, Vita April 1sthttp://blog.us.playstation.com/2014/02/19/ragnarok-odyssey-ace-launches-on-ps3-vita-april-1st/
http://blog.us.playstation.com/2014/02/19/ragnarok-odyssey-ace-launches-on-ps3-vita-april-1st/#commentsWed, 19 Feb 2014 17:05:10 +0000http://blog.us.playstation.com/?p=125195Ragnarok Odyssey ACE, a revised and expanded version of the original Ragnarok Odyssey set to launch on April 1st on PS3 and PS Vita. Now that we’re just about done, we can go into more detail about what’s in the game, and what newcomers and returning Ragnarok Odyssey veterans can expect.]]>As I write this, we’re putting the finishing touches on Ragnarok Odyssey ACE, a revised and expanded version of the original Ragnarok Odyssey set to launch on April 1st on PS3 and PS Vita. Now that we’re just about done, we can go into more detail about what’s in the game, and what newcomers and returning Ragnarok Odyssey veterans can expect.

Initially designed for play on the go, Ragnarok Odyssey gets players into the action as fast as possible, either solo or with up to three companions. Players complete a variety of missions in a Norse-themed wildland, collecting treasures, components and ingredients along the way. In between missions, players can roam their home base – a fortress on the edge of the civilized world – and assemble their loot into new upgrades and abilities. The game’s highlights are its battles against enormous bosses, in which players use their gravity-defying powers to fly circles around the giants and take them apart piece by piece.

ACE takes the original Odyssey’s core gameplay and expands on it dramatically. The first chapter alone introduces a buffet of new features, and the game’s former ending is now its midpoint. The first new features are right there in the character creation screen, which now offers even more options for customization (including eight brand-new voices, four each for male and female). For solo players, ACE offers a dozen elite AI mercenaries, any two of whom the player can recruit for a given mission (and one of whom happens to sound a lot like me). For multiplayer, each class has several new job-specific powers, called ACE Skills, which enhance characters’ roles as team players. Clerics, for example, can now generate a persistent, movable healing aura. (Speaking of multiplayer, ACE supports cross-play; PS3 and Vita players can play together at will, with no extra steps required.) ACE also introduces a new special weapon type, known as Halomonas weapons, which grow in power as the characters do.

But that’s just the beginning. Once players complete Chapter 9 – which was the endgame of the original Ragnarok Odyssey – a vast new dungeon appears, complete with its own story, all-new bosses, and new kinds of challenges. All told, the new Tower of Yggdrasil has 400 floors (not 100 as previously reported – more on that in a bit), each of which changes its layout with every visit.

(One other correction: In our previous blog entry on ACE, we reported that there was new story content throughout the game. There are new characters and dialogue sequences, and plenty of new content throughout the game, but the bulk of the new story content kicks in once the Tower shows up. Apologies for misleading anyone on that; we were still putting the game together at the time, going by the best info we had, and didn’t fully see how it all fit until later. We’re older and wiser now.)

In addition to the major new features above, returning players can enjoy a variety of enhancements that make Ragnarok Odyssey more convenient to play. ACE’s tavern (which, as before, functions as its multiplayer hub) now includes a set of old-timey speaking tubes, through which the player can buy and sell from the fort’s merchants without having to leave and come back. Several new control schemes allow the player to lock on, dash, and maneuver as he or she sees fit. Another new feature is the Billionaire Pot, a magical urn that converts old junky loot into fresh new goods. And, Thor’s name be praised, the benefits of weapon refining are no longer random.

That’s not even getting into the upcoming content patches, two of which have been released in Japan and will both be coming stateside soon. These patches introduce even more new features, including special daily quests, random card draws, login bonuses, leaderboards, additional ACE skills, and (in the second content patch, which may arrive in the States at the same time as the first) a new boss rush mode in a new area called the Prison of the Gods.

Of course, all of that leaves one key question: What about players who already have the original Ragnarok Odyssey? Returning players can import their characters from the original game – to either the PS Vita or the PS3 version of ACE, after which the characters can migrate between both – and have the characters’ name, appearance, and cards transfer over. (Be sure to unequip any cards from your outfit before you initiate the transfer, as cards equipped on outfits do not transfer over, nor do the outfits or weapons themselves). Story-wise, new and returning characters alike take it from the top, though returning characters are likely to blaze through the early game quickly, with all the new content to enjoy while they’re at it. And, to answer one of the most popular questions, Trophies earned in the original game stay in the original game. The good news is many of the Trophies are new, and most of the not-new ones are the kind you won’t have to go out of your way for.

With its cross-play, saved game importing, content patching, and other bells and whistles we can’t go into detail about just yet, Ragnarok Odyssey ACE has been an interesting technical challenge for all of us here at XSEED and at its developer, GungHo. We hope you enjoy the results, which will come flying at you April 1st on PS3 and Vita. The PS3 version will retail on PlayStation Store and on brick-and-mortar shelves for $39.99. The Vita version comes in two varieties: A physical limited edition, featuring a soundtrack CD (with 25 total tracks from various artists, including Nobuo Uematsu) for $39.99, and a digital edition, without the soundtrack, for $34.99.

Have more questions about Ragnarok Odyssey ACE? Let us know in the comments!

Since we first announced our action RPG Ragnarok Odyssey ACE back in May, we’ve gotten all kinds of questions, the most popular among them being, “What exactly is Ragnarok Odyssey ACE?” Fans want to know if it’s a DLC expansion for the original Ragnarok Odyssey, if it’s a whole new game, whether your character and/or story progress carries over, and so on. Because I’ve got a minute, in between proofreading ACE’s script and heading out to the voiceover studio, I wanted to answer some of those questions now.

Ragnarok Odyssey ACE is a full game — a revised and expanded version of the original Ragnarok Odyssey. We’ll be releasing it early next year in North America for both Vita and PS3, and up to four players will be able to cross-play between the two platforms.

Both versions will retail for $39.99. As a “thank you” to returning players on the handheld, ACE’s Vita version will ship with a bonus soundtrack CD, with 25 songs — including one very nice composition from Nobuo Uematsu, called “Roar of the Black Dragon.”

Players with existing Ragnarok Odyssey saves can import their character’s physical appearance, voice, job class, and cards (except for those equipped to clothing at the time of the transfer — those don’t carry over, and neither do cards acquired by “near”). If you’ve downloaded any of the original game’s DLC, you can bring it over to ACE just by re-downloading it from PlayStation Store.

New players and returning veterans will both take the campaign from the top, but that’s because there’s new content throughout the main story. Likewise, there are new Trophies to earn, so your Trophies from the original will stay with the original while ACE offers more Trophies for your collection.

So what kinds of new content are we talking about? To begin with, there are new skills, items, and quests, including a new 100-floor dungeon called the Tower of Yggdrasil.

More than that, we’ll be bringing over the Japanese version’s expansion patches. The 1.10 patch, which launches in Japan this week, adds new features including daily quests, online rankings, log-in bonuses, random card draws, and special rare random card draws. Our version won’t launch with it, but we’ll be releasing the patch as free post-launch content, so players will have some new features to look forward to after launch. And that’s just 1.10…

Sorry to tease and run, but I’ve got to finish this pile of proofreading and finish getting ready for the studio tomorrow. Until next time, thanks as always for keeping the questions coming, and stay tuned for more updates as we get closer to launch.

We’re so thrilled that Valhalla Knights 3, our massive JRPG set in a sprawling prison, launches tomorrow for PS Vita. It’s been a long, challenging, and rewarding process for the team.

The first thing you learn in this industry is how hard everyone works. Whether the project is a hundred-million-dollar blockbuster, or a smaller, niche title, dozens of people across many different teams spend months — if not years — of their lives carrying out a thousand different tasks. Some of those tasks are wildly creative, others bureaucratic and mundane, but it takes all of them together to deliver a game into players’ hands.

On Valhalla Knights 3, I was a latecomer. I joined up in early September, when most of the hardest work had already been done. Most of my contributions have been on the bureaucratic side this time around, working with other XSEED members, the game’s developers, and our friends at PlayStation to get everything ready for launch. (To put my work on this project in RPG terms, think of the design phase as exploration, the programming phase as combat, and my work as the part where you open up the menu and juggle stats and equipment for an hour and a half.)

For me, the highlight of the project — besides writing these articles, which has been a blast — was the day Valhalla Knights 3 was officially certified for release. I’m the guy who got to tell the developers the game was done, that we were clear to launch in North America on October 15th, and, that all their work had finally come together. I could almost hear them cheer from across the ocean.

So what exactly have they been working on all this time? We’ve gotten a few questions about what’s in Valhalla Knights 3, and I wanted to go over them in detail here.

Question: What’s the multiplayer like?

Answer: In the competitive online mode, your seven-character party faces off against an opposing player’s seven-character party. Each of the two players begins the match in their own “locker room,” so to speak, equipping and preparing their respective parties. Once both players enter the arena, their parties rumble until one wipes the other out.

As with the main game, each of the two players directly controls one party member at a time, shouting out orders to the rest and switching between them at will. The winning player receives arena points, which can buy new gear and goodies from the arena prize shop. Those prizes, in turn, carry over into both single player and multiplayer.

The original Japanese version of the game only featured an ad-hoc version of this mode, but the North American and European versions both include full online versions. We’ve also added leaderboards, as well as a specialized matching system that keeps track of your greatest rivals.

North American players will even be able to play people in Europe, and vice versa. No co-op, unfortunately, but the competitive mode fits better with the game’s design.

Question: How hard of a game are we talking about?

Answer: Tough, but fair. Valhalla Knights 3 expects you to outfit your team with the best available equipment, keep stock of your items, and pay attention to a quest’s difficulty rating. It’ll warn you when things are about to get tough, and it won’t often try to trap you or trick you. All the same, save often, and resist the temptation to take “just one more fight” before you go back and heal up. (You can teleport back to base with a consumable Return Card, and can dash everywhere you go with a well-timed button press.)

To help keep things fair, we’ve slightly increased the XP rewards for early encounters and lowered the prices of basic healing potions. That’s to keep new players from falling into a death spiral, where they lose all but their last guy, can’t afford resurrections, and can’t survive enough fights with just the one guy to grind for the resurrection money. In the North American version, if worst comes to worst, you can always beat up a few weak enemies to get back on your feet, and you’ll soon get to a point where you won’t have to.

Question: I’ve heard there are… certain features in the Japanese version. Are they in the North American version, too?

Answer: Yes, fully intact, and unaltered.

Question: What else is coming over from the Japanese version?

Answer: Most of the free additional content from the Japanese game has been packed into the main North American game. There were a couple of licensed crossover cameos in the Japanese version, such as a costume from Fate/Stay Night, that didn’t make it across the Pacific, but the rest of the free content (including the Tight Bikini Armor, various… outfits for the hostesses, several bonus quests, and extra options for player character customization) is there.

Question: I want more Vita games!

Answer: Coming up next for us are Ys: Memories of Celceta and Ragnarok Odyssey ACE. Beyond that, we’ll have to talk… later. Until then, thanks for reading, thank you for all your questions, and all of us here at XSEED hope to see you in the arena when the game ships tomorrow in North America!

Ever notice how often JRPG heroes land in jail? It’s like a rule; the heroes can mow down any number of guards or soldiers (or monsters, or ancient cosmic horrors), but if anyone ever yells, “You’re under arrest!” or “Take them away!” or even just “Freeze!”, then the heroes have to drop their weapons and assume the position. Of course, they almost never stay in jail for long.

Usually, someone lets them out, or they find a secret passage, or they overpower their one inept guard, and then it’s just a short walk to the box with all their stuff in it, if the guards even took their stuff in the first place. Of course, you couldn’t have a whole RPG where the heroes stay in prison… or could you? And if so, what would it be like?

Vita owners can find out on October 15th, when Valhalla Knights 3, a game that takes that question and runs with it, comes out on both retail shelves and PlayStation Store. The whole action-RPG is set in a medieval prison called Carceron, a converted fortress surrounded by war-torn wildlands.

Prisoners roam the halls, grounds, and dungeons at will, with the guards walled off and watching from out of sight. Within the prison, the inmates run their own society, complete with shops, guilds, and… other establishments we’ll get to later. Ruling the prisoners are the Families — organized crime syndicates — each with their own laws and territory. Above them all is the Emperor, an infamous, warmongering tyrant. He believes that the prison holds a legendary treasure, one so priceless that he’s already torn down kingdoms in search of it.

The main character’s name, gender, appearance, voice, race, and job class are all up to you, with job classes ranging from traditional Fighters, Mages, and Priests, to more distinctive classes such as Ninja, Samurai, and Amazon. As a veteran from the losing side of the Emperor’s war, you’ve been forced into servitude by a magical curse called the Mark of Death. Your task is to infiltrate the prison — disguised as a newly arrived prisoner, aka “fresh meat” — and find the treasure before the Emperor gets there himself.

To do that, you’ll need to get in good with the prison’s most powerful Families, by carrying out their dirty work in the form of quests and favors. Build a reputation, and ordinary prisoners will ask for your help, too — sometimes to find a lost heirloom or clear out monsters, other times to kill someone who might not even know why.

What helps Valhalla Knights 3 stand out is its harsh tone. Every facet of the game, from its mission structure to its steep difficulty and lack of an autosave (Save often!), reminds you that you’re trapped in a brutal system, under constant watch, forced to kill or be killed. You’ll carry out orders to hunt down your fellow prisoners whether they deserve it or not, and even when they do, they still have loved ones who’ll miss them.

Most of the time, you’ll have no choice — you’re under the Mark of Death from the start, and the Emperor can kill you with a thought if you disobey him — but is that enough of an excuse? Is even your life worth doing what you’re forced to do? Valhalla Knights 3 makes you question that, and if you’re into moral discussions, it’s worth playing for that alone.

After hours, you can soothe your guilty conscience by visiting the prison’s Light District. Carceron is co-ed, and some of its ladies are gainfully employed in the District’s classy guilds and shops. Find a girl you like, make sure she isn’t spoken for, frequent her business, get to know her, and bring her favorite gifts — and she just might help you find a brief escape from the prison’s harsh reality. Bond with her closely enough, and she’ll even follow you into battle. And it goes both ways, too; you can romance and recruit characters of both genders, regardless of your own.

Speaking of recruits, the gameplay revolves around party-vs-party brawls. No prisoner survives alone for long, and so as you go, you’ll be able to join with NPC prisoners to form your own clan. You’ll lead up to seven characters at a time, almost all of them customizable, into battle against enemy clans and monster packs. The 7-on-7 battles unfold in real time, with the player able to swap characters on the fly and issue group commands from anywhere on the field.

Each clan member also has his or her own personality, which affects their behavior in battle — so you might not want to make the team hothead your healer. You can take your party online, too, and fight other players’ parties in arena battles. (The North American version adds network play and leaderboards on top of the original Japanese version’s ad hoc play.)

As much as I love traditional JRPGs, it’s nice to see one do something different every now and again. I like Valhalla Knights 3 because it combines an interesting setting and atmosphere with the kind of tough difficulty I grew up with. As I write this, we’re just about set to launch in North America on October 15th on both retail shelves and PlayStation Store, for $39.99.